


Moving to University

by RogueGoth



Series: The Macon Diaries [4]
Category: The Walking Dead (Comics), The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, Alternate Universe- No Zombies, Baby Judith, Carl uses male pronouns, F/M, Gay Carl Grimes, M/M, Multi, Negan is Negan, Older Man/Younger Man, Trans Carl Grimes, University, and i don't know how to write anything else, carl is 18, carl is of age, filler fic, for the short time we see him, genderfluid carl grimes, he's going to uni for creative writing, mainly because that's my major, moving to university
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-16 03:33:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13045620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RogueGoth/pseuds/RogueGoth
Summary: A filler fic to go in the Macon Diaries. Carl is leaving the home nest to go to University.





	Moving to University

Today was the day. The day that Rick would be driving 84 miles to Georgia State University. Carl watched from his bedroom window as his Dad began packing his belongings into the old car. This was it. The start of the next chapter in his life. Georgia State University was only over an hour away, but Carl knew he would be angsty in the drive. He didn’t like to be cooped up for too long  
Turning away from the window, Carl stared at himself in the mirror. This would be the last time in four months that he would be standing in his bedroom. His room was eerily empty. Bits and pieces from his childhood all packed up into boxes. Next to the mirror were his remaining photo frames, photos that he wouldn’t be taking to University with him. They contained photos sent by his mother and Uncle Shane, photos of them in their new house back in Cynthiana and their new family and two pit bulls. They were photos that showed his mother had moved on, that she didn’t care about him or Judith. They received cards on their birthdays and for Christmas, but they usually contained photos of Lori’s new family. He sighed. He guessed he wouldn’t see his mum before he left for Georgia.  
He cleaned his bad eye and placed a decorative eye patch over the top, no need to scaring his new flat mates before they had even got to know him. He glanced out his window towards Negan’s house, it looked still, empty. No sign of the foul-mouthed PE teacher. Carl wondered if he would make an appearance before he left for University. The older man knew when Carl would be leaving, Carl had text him multiple times. He wasn’t too worried about leaving Negan. They had had a lengthy discussion about their relationship, how Carl didn’t want anyone else but Negan, and his head wouldn’t turn towards another boy at University. Negan was unsure. It was so unlike him, but Carl had come to realise that the man got incredibly attached to things and people, especially after the death of his wife.  
Carl chucked his last few possessions into his rucksack before slinging it over his shoulder. Closing his bedroom door, he made his way downstairs. His Dad was still diligently packing the car.  
“Another bag for you, the last one.”  
Rick grinned, “Thank god.”  
Carl glanced towards Negan’s house, “I’m gonna go say goodbye to Negan.”  
Rick’s face scrunched up in confusion, “Negan? But why?”  
Carl shrugged, “We’ve become… friends, I guess you could say. Plus, he’s a good friend to Beth. I’ll be back in ten minutes I promise.”  
“Alright, make sure you leave enough time to say goodbye to Michonne and Judith.” 

Carl smiled at his father and raced over to Negan’s. Lucille gleamed in the driveway, newly cleaned and waxed. Negan sure did take pride in his car. He rapped three times on the door, his cheeks turning red when Negan opened the door in only a towel.  
“Shit kid, I didn’t realise the time. You leaving already?”  
Carl grinned, “Yep ten minutes before the Grimesmobile leaves for Georgia.”  
“The Grimesmobile?”  
Carl laughed sheepishly, “You have a name for your car, Dad has a name for his wagon.”  
From across the road, Negan spotted Rick watching the couple under a scrutinised stare,  
“Your Dad’s watching us, better get inside?” 

Negan’s house was surprisingly clean, but rather bare. He had hardly any personal artefacts on the bookshelves or on the coffee table.  
“It’s not much,” Negan remarked, “But its fucking home.”  
Negan threw himself unceremoniously onto the leather sofa, “You know you never told me what you’re studying at University.”  
“Creative Writing,” Carl told him, “Majoring in journalism, but I want to be able to write in all forms.”  
Negan looked thoughtful, “Fucking suits ya kid. Can’t believe you’re leaving.”  
“I’ll be back for Thanksgiving, maybe you can visit me before hand?”  
Negan laughed, “Sure you want a forty something guy hanging around your dorm? Don’t want to scare your roommate.”  
Carl smiled, glancing at his phone, he sighed, “I need to go, Dad wants to leave before traffic hits.”  
Carl got to his feet. Negan followed him to the door. As Carl was opening the door, Negan pulled him into a tight hug,  
“Gonna miss you a fuck tonne.”  
Carl smiled and pressed a gentle kiss into the man’s neck, “I’ll be back before you know it.”  
He left Negan in the doorway, heading on to the next chapter of his life. 

 

His Dad was waiting patiently by the door,  
“Saw your goodbye with Negan, it was sweet.”  
“You don’t have a problem with it?”  
Rick shook his head.  
“if anything, I’m happy that you’ve got someone in your life that makes you happy.”  
Carl smiled at his Dad.  
“So, when did this begin?” Rick inquired, “When he joined your school?”  
Carl pulled a face, “Of course not Dad,” he paused and thought for a moment, “I guess it started when you held your Fourth of July party.”  
“That soon?”  
Carl nodded, “He approached me after I took him in the kitchen to clean his cuts.”  
“Ah, the fight with Abraham. I still can’t believe that he stole their wheelie bin.”  
Rick’s son chuckled, “Yeah, I still haven’t got to the bottom of that. No clue why he took it.”  
“Practical joke,” Rick reasoned, “Probably a hey-ho of ‘welcome me to the neighbourhood you fuckers!”  
They both erupted into laughter. Rick pulled his son in for a hug.  
“You got everything kiddo? Ready to take on the big wide world of University?”  
Carl nodded, burying his face further into his father’s chest, “I’m excited and nervous. But I’m ready. This is it, the next chapter of my life.”  
Rick smiled, “Alright, let’s get going.” 

The drive to Georgia State University was uneventful, the only sounds being the roaring of engines as they whizzed past Rick’s car, and the tapping of Carl’s fingers against his laptop keys. He was working on a new novel, so different from his usual writing. It was a horror drama, if one wanted to pin point a genre to it. He was only into the first few chapters, but he had a fair idea of where the novel would be heading. It was a story about a group of survivors, in Atlanta Georgia and the surrounding area. Carl had been taught to write from experience and if he was honest with himself, there were no better characters than those he was familiar with in his local neighbourhood. Nearly everyone he knew would be making an appearance, some earlier than others. In his story, he and his Dad were the main characters; and Rick was still with Lori, but that would eventually change once Rick found out Lori had been sleeping with Shane whilst he had been in a coma. He was writing a rather emotional scene at the moment; where Rick (who was now named James) had been reunited with his wife Lori (who was now named Colleen) and his son (which was Carl, who he had renamed himself Alex). It was down to Glenn (Lee) who had found his Dad in Atlanta drawing attention to himself by riding a horse into zombie invested Atlanta. Carl smiled to himself as he read over what he had written; with so many zombie books on the market at the moment, he thought of how he could differentiate his work from others and decided to not once use the word zombie in his writing- instead opting to use the words; walker, biters, lurkers and various others.  
“Having fun there Carl?”  
Carl was brought out of his fantasy world and chuckled weakly, “Yeah, just thinking of what to write next.  
“What’s happened, and when can I read it?”  
Carl shrugged, shifting his laptop to make it rest comfortably against his knees, “Well, James has just been reunited with his family thanks to Lee and is also about to reunite with his best friend Frank. He also has to approach a member of camp, a hunter, named Murphy and tell him that his brother Henry won’t be coming back.”  
Rick nodded, “Wow. Okay, so you said I was James right, and the other brothers we know are Daryl and Merle, so which one did I leave in Atlanta?”  
“Merle.”  
“Ah, of course. It would be him wouldn’t it. Well, if I know Daryl, and believe me I do, why doesn’t Daryl start a fight with me and demand to go back and get Merle?”  
Carl thought it over for a moment, “That makes sense, but knowing Merle he wouldn’t wait to be saved. You handcuffed him on a rooftop and left him with a toolbox, maybe he cut off his hand to get out?”  
Rick smiled, “Sounds good Carl. Say, when can I read it?”  
“When I kill Mom.”  
“Wait what?”  
Carl nodded, saving his document and closing his laptop, “Yeah, I’m gonna kill Mom. So, James finds out that Colleen is sleeping with Frank and is pregnant, and Alex killed Frank. But Colleen and James are unsure about who the father of the baby is. Maybe its James or maybe its Frank, no one knows. But James is willing to raise the baby himself as though it were his own. Colleen is going to die in childbirth, in the group’s new settlement and then eventually I’ll introduce Michonne’s character.”  
“So, James will have two kids and a new girlfriend?”  
Carl nodded.  
“I don’t know how I feel about you killing your Mom and Uncle Shane, but if this is an outlet for you to help you process everything that’s happened then I guess that’s okay.”  
“They aren’t the only ones to die, I’ve planned it all out. Loads of people are going to die; Tyreese, Dale, Andrea, Merle, Beth, Hershel, Glenn, Abraham. The list goes on and on.”  
Rick’s mouth fell open, “So basically you’re going to kill everyone?”  
Carl smiled, “Yep, even I’m going to die, and you and Negan (when I eventually get to that part of the book) are gonna hate each other at first and then after my death, you’re going to team up.”  
“You’re going to die?”  
“Yep. It’s an apocalypse Dad, everyone dies eventually. Its not even the bite that infects the person. Everyone is infected, no one is safe.” 

The University campus was bustling as Rick and Carl parked up outside Carl’s new accommodation. There were older students handing out leaflets and helping people move in, and emotional parents waving goodbye to their children as they embarked on their new journey.  
Carl turned to his father, “You’re not going to get all weepy on me, are you?”  
“I might shed a few tears.”  
Carl and Rick loaded up a trolley and prepared to start moving everything upstairs. Carl hadn’t met his new roommate yet, but he hoped they were nice and he wouldn’t have a problem with them.  
His room was clearly occupied, but no one was in. Already Carl knew he would get on with his housemate as the room was impeccably clean- everything was organised, and all his housemate’s belongings had a distinct place in the room. Carl happily helped his father set up his room, careful not to make a mess. In an hour and a half, Carl and his father had managed to unpack everything Carl owned and place it somewhere in the room. Carl smiled happily as he pinned the last photo of him and Sophia on his bedroom wall. He’d miss her, but hopefully he’d manage to see her at Thanksgiving. His Dad had tears in his eyes, as Carl tried to usher Rick out of his room.  
“Please leave before my housemate arrives, I really don’t want to be embarrassed about you.”  
“I’m not that embarrassing!”  
“Yes, you are Dad,” Carl pulled him in for a hug, “Its not like I’ll be gone forever, I’ll be back for Thanksgiving break.”  
Rick wiped a tear away, “I know you will kid, but its not gonna stop me missing you.”  
Rick pulled away, straightening his back, “Now listen here,” he said in a stern voice, “No under-drinking, no drugs, no unsafe sex and please, please do well in your studies.”  
Carl pulled a face, “Yeah, yeah Dad. No drinking and no drugs, and especially do well in my studies.”  
“And?” Rick questioned, “What about the other thing?”  
“Dad, that’s gross. And no, okay. Jesus, leave already.”  
Rick chuckled and pulled his son in for a hug, “We’re all gonna miss you kid. Please take care of yourself, don’t eat too many pot noodles.”  
Carl smiled, his one eye crinkling, “I promise Dad.” 

Rick had gone, and Carl flopped onto his bed exhausted. This was it. The start of his new chapter in life, and he honestly couldn’t wait for it to begin.

**Author's Note:**

> I really have no idea how University works in America, so I used a lot of what I know from University here in England. We get roommates in which we can share with one other person, or we get housemates and each get a room in either student accommodation, or a house somewhere in the city. 
> 
> Yes, Carl is a creative writing major, which is what I'm studying. And yes, in his spare time he is writing a Novel that he's going to call 'The Walking Dead' and everyone he knows is in it. Everyone's names have been changed, and what we know so far is that Carl is calling-  
> Rick- James  
> Lori- Collette  
> Shane- Frank (after Jon Bernthal's new character Frank Castle)  
> Glenn- Lee  
> Carl- Alex  
> Daryl- Murphy (after Reedus' character in Boondock Saints)  
> Merle- Henry (after Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer) 
> 
> Eventually, if it ever comes about in a later Fanfiction, I'll let you guys know what the other characters are called. 
> 
> Also, I have not watched Walking Dead since season 4, so any characterization I have is from what I remember of the earlier seasons, and other people's Fanfictions. Particularly Negan. Like, I haven't seen Negan in the Walking Dead, so I have no idea how to write him.
> 
> Another thing, this was written back in September and I completely forgot about it. Because I'm trash.


End file.
